Goddess’s Choice

by I. T. Lucas

  Holding hands, they walked back to Ekin’s study.

  They found the god pacing the large space.

  “Thank the Fates,” he said as he saw them. “I guess congratulations are due, but first you need to go out and calm your maid and your guards. They were worried enough to try and pressure me into allowing them in. While you are at it, I will pour us some wine.”

  As Annani stepped out and admonished her maid and her guards for pestering Ekin while she was working hard on her report, her uncle took three goblets off the shelf, poured a generous helping of wine into each, and handed one to Khiann.

  “All done,” Annani said as she closed the door. “I sent them away and told them I have at least another hour of studying to do.”

  Ekin raised a brow. “You are not done?”

  Annani blushed. “Is one ever done?”

  Her uncle beamed with pride and patted her shoulder. “You are my blood, that is for sure.”

  “We need your advice,” Khiann said.

  “I see.” Ekin handed Annani a goblet, then motioned for them to follow him to the chaise.

  “So this is it,” he said as they were all seated. “You want to make it official.”

  “Yes,” Khiann said.

  “You need to talk to Ahn, not me.”

  “I know that, uncle. What I want from you are pointers. How should we approach him? What should we say?”

  His brows drawn tight, Ekin sipped on his wine for a few moments, then turned to Annani. “You should talk to Ahn and your mother first, and then wait for your father to invite Khiann. Ahn will want to ascertain that what you feel for the boy is more than an infatuation. Only after he is convinced of that, will he put Khiann through similar questions to make sure it is the real deal for him as well.”

  Annani crossed her arms over her chest. “Why can he not take our word for it? We know what we feel for each other is true.”

  “For his own peace of mind. Ahn is risking war for your happiness, Annani.”

  PART 4

  LOVE’S TRIUMPH

  1

  Mortdh

  As Mortdh read the latest update from his head spy at Ahn’s court, his first reaction was disbelief. The second was rage. Crumpling the scroll in his fist, he hurled it against the wall.

  “What is it, Father?” Navuh asked as he went to retrieve it.

  “Everyone out!” Mortdh bellowed, sending the servants scurrying away.

  “Bad news?” Navuh asked as everyone else cleared the chamber.

  Mortdh cast a soundproofing shroud before answering. “The whoring daughter of the usurper is making a mockery out of me.”

  “Annani?”

  “Does the usurper have another daughter that he promised to me and is now spreading her legs for someone who is not me?”

  “May I?” Navuh asked as he unfurled the scroll.

  Mortdh waved a hand. “Go ahead. Burn it when you are done. I do not wish news of my shame to spread.”

  He had worked long and hard to build up his rule over the northern region. The humans and immortals residing in his territory believed that he was an independent sovereign, and that he did not have to answer to the southern ruler and his precious assembly of gods.

  Mortdh was revered as the highest of gods, the king of them all, and by joining with the little slut, it could have even been true.

  “Those are only rumors, my lord,” Navuh said as he rolled the scroll and tossed into the fire. “It is not uncommon for young gods and goddesses to have tutors.”

  Mortdh glared at his son. “Surely you are not so naive as to believe your own words, Navuh. Other than their own children, gods do not tutor other gods. It is a ploy to allow the bastard access to her without alerting me.” Mortdh rose to his feet and walked over to the fireplace.

  Warming his hands, he watched the parchment smolder, much like the fury inside him. His father had been cheated out of his rightful place as head of the gods, and Mortdh was determined to correct that wrong. Not for Ekin, but for himself.

  The next leader of the gods would be the rightful successor.

  If not for the stupid matriarchal succession rules, the brilliant and cunning Ekin would have been sitting on the throne, and not his younger and less deserving brother. Mortdh would have been the successor, not the little whore.

  So what if Ekin was born to a concubine and Ahn to the official wife?

  What difference did it make which cunt they had emerged from?

  Ekin was their father’s eldest son and therefore should have been king. When he stepped down to pursue his science, which he would no doubt have done sooner rather than later, Mortdh would have taken his place eons ago as the head of the gods, immortals, and humans everywhere.

  Once he seized the throne, he was going to do away with any custom or tradition that gave cunts power. Starting with the right of consent. They were breeders, nothing more, and as such they should be treated like livestock to be sold and bought on the market. In fact, he was going to do away with the gods’ entire code of law. There would be no more need for the big or small assembly because there would be no more voting on anything.

  Mortdh was going to lord supreme over them all, and they were going to accept him as an absolute ruler because he knew what was best for everyone.

  The humans and immortals residing in his territory worshiped him not out of fear, but out of gratitude.

  He was good to them.

  Unlike the other gods, who sat on their asses all day and expected humans to provide for them, Mortdh provided for his people.

  His region was prospering thanks to the lucrative cedar tree exports, and he was funneling the profits to his people by hiring them to serve in his ever-growing army and build his temple mound.

  Unlike his uncle’s domain, Mortdh’s territory was clear of bandits. After several raiding parties had been dealt with swiftly and harshly, the others moved south where they continued their raids with impunity.

  “Even if it is true,” Navuh said. “A goddess Annani’s age is still very impressionable, and her mind could be changed for her. May I speak freely, Father?”

  Mortdh waved his hand impatiently. “That was the idea behind dismissing the servants. Talk.”

  “Thank you.” Navuh took a deep breath and steepled his fingers. “You have not courted Annani. You have not gone to visit her. Perhaps a visit is due. You can dazzle the girl with your good looks and your commanding presence, as well as the many expensive gifts you will bring. You can make her forget all about the new contender for her affections, assuming that there is indeed one and the tutor is not really just a tutor.”

  “I agree. I have been negligent.”

  For some reason, it had never occurred to Mortdh that one day Annani would reach the age of majority and might choose another as her mate. Instead of waiting, he should have arrived at Ahn’s palace and mated with the girl right on that day.

  In his defense, he had not counted on Ahn spoiling the brat to such a degree that she would dare challenge the promise her father had made to Mortdh.

  There were rumors that Annani was hotheaded and not the obedient daughter Ahn should have raised, but Mortdh had not extrapolated the possible ramification of his future bride’s faulty character. Frankly, over the years since the promise had been made, he had spared her little thought at all.

  Except, what if it was not Annani’s idea to hire the pretend tutor but Ahn’s?

  Had his simpering uncle changed his mind, and was he actually instigating a war? It was possible that rumors of Mortdh’s growing army had reached him and he wanted to crush Mortdh before he became undefeated.

  That was what Mortdh would have done, but it was unlike his uncle to pursue such violent action. It seemed that after mating Nai, Ahn had started to believe in his own propaganda about the gods being peaceful and benevolent.

  His uncle had been a fierce and ruthless leader before joining with the young goddess. When the humans had increased in numbers to the degr
ee that had threatened the gods, he had no qualms about arranging a mass culling.

  Even Mortdh would have not gone that far. He would have taken out the leaders, killed a few hundred to scare the rest, and taken control of the situation.

  Humans were not much of a threat if one knew how to manage them.

  In fact, they were the base of Mortdh’s power. Without them, he could not win a war against his brethren. Unlike his uncle, though, he knew how to control humans. All it took to keep their hordes in check was strong leadership. Without it, humans were like sheep—unpredictable and easily excitable. In the hands of a capable shepherd, however, they were a force to reckon with.

  The problem was that his army was not ready yet. Until he amassed a strong enough force to win a war against Ahn and the other gods, he was going to stall by exhausting every political maneuver available to him.

  “Gifts are a good idea. Assemble a caravan. Fill it with jewelry, rare fabrics, exotic slaves, and whatever else you may deem appropriate. I am putting you in charge of delivering everything and dazzling the little whore.”

  “As you wish, Father. How soon do you want it done?”

  “Make it so you can leave in three days.”

  “As you command, Father.” Navuh bowed. “Would you be flying ahead of the caravan?”

  Navuh was still young and did not understand that perception was everything. “No, my son. If the gifts do the trick, I will not come at all. I do not want to waste my time on her. I am sending you with my elite squadron of immortal warriors and wagons piled with goods.” He lifted his hands. “It will send a clear message—a sword in one hand, and a pomegranate in the other. I trust your judgment. Assess the situation, and if you decide that my presence is necessary, inform me, and I will fly over to join you.”

  Navuh bowed again. “I bask in the light of your wisdom, Father.”

  2

  Annani

  “You wished to see me, Mother?” Annani asked as she entered her parents’ private quarters.

  It had been a long time since she had been allowed in there. Most of the mother-daughter meetings were conducted either in Nai’s reception room or the throne room.

  It was highly unusual for Annani to be invited to the royal couple’s private chamber.

  “Yes, indeed.” Nai turned to her maids and Gulan. “I wish to speak with my daughter in private. Everyone else, please leave.”

  “As you wish, my lady.” Her mother’s head maid bowed and ushered the others out.

  “Come sit with me,” Nai commanded as the door closed behind the maids.

  Should she worry? What was it all about? Was her mother going to subject her to another lecture on why she should not join with Khiann yet?

  Annani stifled a smile. It was a little too late for that.

  Thank the Fates, the scent of incense permeated the chamber. Without it, there would have been no way for Annani to mask her feelings of happiness from her mother. The heavy perfume she had doused herself with could only do so much.

  “I heard that you and Khiann used Ekin’s workspace for your lesson yesterday, and that you have spent many hours on your report.” Nai raised one perfectly arched brow.

  “Yes.”

  “Could I see that report?”

  Camel droppings, there was no report. Annani had scribbled a few notes, but it was not what three hours of work should have produced.

  “It is not finished. I still have a lot of work to do on it until it is ready for presentation.”

  Nai laughed. “What do you take me for, child, a fool? I know perfectly well what you and Khiann did yesterday.”

  Damnation. Should she continue to pretend? What if her mother had informants who had spied on them last night?

  It was not a remote possibility. It was a certainty.

  One of Nai’s earliest lessons to her daughter was about a ruler’s need to have eyes and ears everywhere to inform him or her of what was going on around them.

  Still, Annani could always answer a question with another question and not commit to anything. It was one of the things she had learned from listening to what went on in the throne room. “What do you think we did, Mother?”

  Nai patted her knee. “I know Ekin. Someone who refers to himself as the god of free love and fornication is not much of a chaperone.”

  “He is not?”

  “Oh, stop the innocent act, Annani. You are not fooling me. Ekin covered for you and Khiann while the two of you necked in some dark corner of his quarters.”

  Annani suppressed the relieved breath she wanted to exhale.

  Except, her mother did not miss much. “It was more than necking, was it?”

  Annani nodded, letting the smile she had been stifling since morning finally spring free.

  Nai chuckled. “That good, eh?”

  A blush heating her cheeks, Annani nodded again. “Indescribable,” she whispered and took her mother’s hands in hers. “I want to join with Khiann as soon as possible. We cannot bear being away from each other for more than a few hours. Can you talk with Father for me?”

  “Are you absolutely sure Khiann is your one?”

  “Positive. If I cannot have him, I would rather die.”

  Nai gave her a stern look. “I do not appreciate melodramatics, Annani.”

  She was not being melodramatic. Without Khiann, there was no purpose to her life, no joy. She would rather perish than live without him. To appease her mother, though, she said, “I will never love another.”

  “That I can believe. You are too much of a fighter to choose death no matter what, my daughter. Besides, it is a selfish thing even to contemplate.”

  “If a person finds life too difficult to live, how is it selfish to wish to end the suffering?”

  Her mother waved a hand. “In some extreme cases, like a human on his or her deathbed who is suffering intolerable pain, it is acceptable. But it is selfish for a young and capable woman or man to wish it because of heartache. The Fates put you on this earth for a reason. You have a job to do, and you are not free to leave until that job is done.”

  Annani frowned. “What job?”

  “That is for you to find out. It is different for each of us.”

  Her mother was very confusing. “What is your job?”

  “Is it not obvious?”

  “Are you talking about ruling along with Father?”

  Nai shook her head. “It may seem that way, but no. I was put on this earth for two reasons. The first one was to join with your father and teach him compassion. The second was you. The fortuneteller told me that you are destined for greatness.”

  Annani huffed. “Since when do you believe in that nonsense, Mother? Fortunetellers will say whatever they think you want to hear, or what some god or immortal thralled them to believe. No one can see the future because it did not happen yet.”

  Nai nodded. “There are thousands of possible futures, that is true. But I do believe that some humans and immortals have a real gift for feeling which one will come to pass.”

  “Perhaps,” Annani agreed just to end the whole discussion about seers. In her opinion, the visions some humans and immortals had were the product of godly pranks, some of them quite malicious. None of the gods ever claimed to be able to see the future. Anyone making such a claim would have been ridiculed.

  “You just need to open your mind to the possibility, child. We are thought of as gods by those inferior to us, but that does not make us all-knowing.”

  “I promise to dedicate some serious thought to it, Mother.” Not really.

  Nai sighed as if knowing that Annani had no such intention. “I will talk with your father and tell him that you have made up your mind. He will probably want to have another talk with Khiann.”

  3

  Khiann

  As Khiann got ready for his workday, he thanked the Fates for his father’s early return. Navohn had not been due back for at least two more days, but favorable weather conditions had allowed the caravan t
o traverse the distance faster.

  According to his father, the winds had been mellow, and the heat had been unusually mild for the season. Khiann had a suspicion that the Fates had something to do with it.

  A strange thought for a skeptic like him.

  Except, it was hard to argue against their existence when recent events implied otherwise. A mere two moon cycles ago he could not have dreamed of Annani ever being his. The princess had been as unapproachable as the moon itself.

  The Fates had been exceptionally kind to him.

  The question was why.

  Those who believed in them wholeheartedly claimed that they bestowed gifts on those who had sacrificed a lot for others or those who had endured terrible hardships.

  Khiann had done neither.

  He had been blessed with loving parents and good friends and had not experienced even the slightest of hardships, unless the six torturous weeks of abstinence could count as such. He had definitely suffered, but it had been his choice to dedicate the courtship period to Annani and her pleasure and not ask for anything in return. It had also been his decision not to slake his needs elsewhere.

  It had not been easy, but he was quite proud of himself for accomplishing a feat not many male gods or even immortals were capable of. That did not mean, though, that the Fates would consider it a sacrifice. It had not been selfless. They would not reward him for something he had done for his own benefit, whether it was Annani’s introduction to the world of carnal pleasures or his own ego.

  It worried him. If he had not earned his boon, it was believed that the Fates would demand payment at a later time, and that the payment would be equivalent in value to what they had bestowed.

  A payment for love as great as Annani’s and his could equal the world’s destruction, which was a real possibility if Mortdh could not be appeased.